Three Cup Chicken

The three cup as in the name of the recipe is originally from one cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. This savoury dish is very tasty with the flavours from the amount of garlic used, as well as the use of Thai basil leaves which gives this dish a very different taste from other braised dishes.

I however, did not use 1 cup of soy sauce as the recipe indicated. I thought that it will be extremely salty even though the soy sauce I use in my kitchen is the less salty ones. I use only 1/4 cup and thought that this dish is pretty salty! I have also used less sesame oil, but I did use 1 cup of rice wine. 

The dish turns out pretty tasty, only slightly salty but goes great with white hot fluffy rice. Do not omit the basil leaves, as the unique taste of the dish comes from the basil leaves which contributes both the taste and fragrant of the final dish. 

Three Cup Chicken
(The Food Of Taiwan, Cathy Erway)
3/4 cup sesame oil (1/3 cup)
1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 12 or 15 thick discs
12 to 15 while garlic cloves
4 whole scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 to 3 small, fresh red chillies, halved or sliced
2 pounds bone-in chicken legs, thighs and wings, cut into roughly 2-inch pieces
1 cup rice wine
1 cup light soy sauce (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons sugar (omitted)
2 cups packed fresh Thai basil leaves

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, and chillies, and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and lightly brown, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice wine and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the sauce has slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Stir in the sugar until just dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Serve immediately.

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